Taking It To The Streets

The Streets of our Chocolate Cities and Vanilla Suburbs have become the Field of Battle and the Stage of Protest. Recently hundreds of thousands of people Have Taken to the Streets for various reasons or causes.

On Sunday April 25, 1993 hundreds of thousands of the Gay Community took to the Streets of Washington D.C. to call for this nation to acknowledge and recognize legally their rights as American citizens. The Gays and Lesbians took the issue of Civil Rights to the Streets. The Streets of our Chocolate Cities and Vanilla Suburbs have become the Field of Battle and the Stage of Protest!

On Sunday April 16, 1993 I was privileged to be in the City of Los Angeles to witness first hand the results of the split decision the jury issued on the Four Police Officers who beat Rodney King. Immediately, the LAPD Took the Maintenance of Law and Order to the Chocolate Streets of South Central, Watts and Compton. You would always see them riding in a caravan of six patrol cars with four cops in each car. You would see them escorting every fire truck and emergency vehicle. The Law Enforcement Agencies along with the National Guard Took the Maintenance of Law and Order to the Streets of Los Angeles.

On the other hand, during this same time the Bloods and Crypts, Church and Temple members, religious and community leaders, the Mayor and congressional leaders, the NAACP in the person of its then president Benjamin Chavis and the Rainbow Coalition in the person of Jesse Jackson also Took It To the Streets! While police were patrolling and news cameras were recording, the Black Community Took It to the Streets to Celebrate the Vindication of Justice Deferred. All over Los Angeles there was heard a great sigh of relief and there was a sensed a renewed hope for the future. In the worship service Sunday morning all over Los Angeles, there was praise and thanks offered to the God of Justice for intervening in the matter. The Black Community Took the Celebration of Justice to the Streets of Los Angeles.

And for the past several weeks, in Cities all over the world, citizens have been Taking It to the Streets. In protest of an approaching war between Iraq and the United States, Great Britain and a Coalition of the Willing millions of concerned citizens have Taken It to the Streets. Which again proves that THE STREETS OF OUR CHOCOLATE CITIES AND VANILLA SUBURBS HAVE BECOME THE FIELD OF BATTLE AND THE STAGE OF PROTEST!

In this Lecture or Message, I want to deal with THE INVITATION. In Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 14 and Verse 17, you will find recorded these Invitational Words:

“Come; for all things are now ready.”

Now these words were uttered by the Master of the House to His Servant. The word translated “servant” here is really the word “Slave or Bondman - Doulos.” A Slave is the Lowest person on the scale of servitude. Lower than a House Servant, a Maid, an Attendant and a Hired Servant is a Slave.

A Slave is one who is Chained to his Master; he is in bondage; he has been bought with a price; he is bound to his Master by virtue of redemption. A Slave is one who has given himself up to the will of another other than himself.

So right away we learn that in order To Extend The Invitation, One Must Be A Slave Of the Lord Jesus. Verse 17 says that He sent His Servant at Supper Time to say: “Come; for all things are now ready.” Now bear in mind that he is a Slave and not a House Servant, not a Steward, and not even a Hired Servant. ALL HE IS, IS A SLAVE!

Thus, one does not have to be an Officer or Chairperson of the Church TO EXTEND THE INVITATION! All you need be is A Slave Redeemed by the Blood pf the Master. All you need be is Under the Yoke and Lordship of the Master. This man was not a Steward, or a Hired Servant nor a House Servant. HE WAS ONLY A SLAVE!

Now most of us are enthralled over the idea of being A HOUSE SLAVE: we covet the comfort of the House! All we want to do is work in the house. For we recognize the blessings and benefits associated with House-Work; such as shade from the heat, protection from the stormy blast, easy eye recognition by the master, and the work is not that hard! We don’t mind serving as long as it is in the House. Or, we don’t mind working as long as it is around the house doing YARD WORK!

But oh, how we dread even hate the thought of being sent to the Field - WE WANT THE HOUSE! in fact, we have opted for Jacob’s mentality rather than the Mindset of Esau. Jacob was a House Boy, a Home Boy; whereas Esau was a Field man, one of the BOYS IN THE HOOD.